Walking Tall
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Nellie's legs have been crushed by a wagon wheel, and no one knows whether or not she'll ever walk again. Percival knows that no matter what the outcome is, he will always love her just the same.
1. The Accident

Nellie knew that she had never felt pain like this before in her life. Not even the pain of childbirth could rival it. Of Percival's pale face tinged with sweat as he bent over her, of the frightened cries of six-year-old twins Jennifer and Benjamin, she was not aware at all. The only thing that existed for her at this moment was the pain.

Percival and another man had placed her on a board of some sort and were carrying her.

"Can you hear me, Nellie?" Percival's voice sounded as if it were coming from far away. She tried to speak, but all she could manage was a weak grunt.

"You're going to be all right, sweetheart. We're taking you to the hospital, and they're going to take good care of you."

Nellie tried her best to hang onto Percival's words, but they were fading as the world spun around and around, faster and faster.

When Nellie regained consciousness, she was lying on her back on a very soft surface. The air was cool and smelled of cleaning solution. The pain in her legs was now a dull throb. She opened her eyes, and Percival's face came into focus.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Your legs were crushed, Nellie. A wagon wheel ran over them. You've just had an operation to set them so that they will heal properly. You're going to be here in the hospital for a while." What Percival didn't tell her was that infection was a real threat, and that if it set in, amputation was a real possibility, and that even if the bones in her legs did heal, there was still no guarantee that she would ever walk on them again.

"Jenny and Benny..." Nellie's first thought was of her children.

"They're fine. Dan and Sarah are taking care of them." Dan was Percival's cousin, and Sarah was his wife.

"I want to see them." Nellie began to cry.

"I know, sweetheart," Percival said gently. "You'll see them again soon, I promise. Right now you need to rest." He tenderly stroked her forehead, and she closed her eyes and was asleep within moments. As she slept, Percival wondered how in the world he was going to manage alone with two children if Nellie died, and how he was going to manage with two children and a crippled wife if she lived.


	2. Memories

The next time Nellie opened her eyes, she saw that Percival's mother, Edna Cohen, was sitting beside her bed. Despite their religious differences, Edna and Nellie had always gotten along really well.

"Where's Percival?" Nellie asked.

"He had to go back to the store," Edna told her. "He'll be back as soon as he can."

"Jenny and Benny?"

"They're still with Dan and Sarah. They're having a lot of fun playing with Hannah and Reuben." Seven-year-old Hannah and five-year-old Reuben were Dan and Sarah's children, and Jennifer and Benjamin's second cousins.

"How do you feel, sweetheart?" Edna asked.

"Thirsty," Nellie said.

Edna helped her to sit up part of the way so that she could drink some fresh, cold water.

"That was so good," Nellie said as she lay back down. "I just feel so weak."

"You've been through a terrible ordeal," Edna sympathized. "Get as much rest as you can. That will help your body to mend itself."

As Nellie lay there hour after hour, she fought off the boredom by recalling special moments in the life she had shared with Percival. She would never forget the first time she had seen him. Her parents had hired him to help save her failing restaurant and to teach her to cook. She hadn't exactly been impressed with him at first sight.

"You're short." Those had been her very first words to him.

During their first few weeks together, Nellie had made several more unkind remarks to him about his short stature. It had all come to a head one day when he was teaching her how to separate eggs.

"Are you going to make _short_cake? Do you need any _short_ening? You'd better make sure you have enough ingredients. You don't want to run _short _of anything," she taunted.

Percival upended the bowl of raw eggs and dumped it squarely on top of Nellie's head. "I also have a very _short_ temper," he said.

"I don't even want to learn how to cook! I hate cooking, and I hate this restaurant! My mother only bought it for me so that I could get a husband, and I don't even want a husband!" she shrieked.

"You're too pretty to need a restaurant to get a husband!" he shouted back.

"He called me pretty!" Nellie exclaimed in amazement after Percival stormed out the door.

That moment had marked a turning point in their relationship. Nellie suddenly became an eager pupil, more than willing to learn everything he had to teach her. Then had come that dark day she had learned that he was to return to New York.

Nellie stood on the porch watching Percival play ball with some kids, knowing that this was her very last chance to tell him how she felt about him.

"I have something to say to you, Percival."

He looked at her expectantly.

"I love you."

"I...I don't know what to say," he stammered.

"Do you love me?" she asked.

"Yes, Nellie, I do love you," he replied. "But I'm not going to get any taller."

"Well, I'm not going to get any shorter either," she cried happily.

They were married the very next day. Dr. Baker performed the ceremony, and the entire town showed up.

Their honeymoon night was very special. Percival was gentle and loving, and Nellie experienced emotions she had never experienced before. Having been domineering and brazen for almost her entire life, she learned for the first time to totally surrender to the man she loved and allow him to fulfill her desires. Percival was, of course, delighted to see this new side to his wife which he himself had uncovered.

Lost in pleasant reverie, Nellie hardly noticed when her injured legs began to throb. Within a few hours the pain was almost unbearable, and Nellie was flushed with fever.

"I'm afraid infection has set in," the doctor told Percival gravely. "I was really hoping that this wouldn't happen. I'm very sorry, but there's only one thing that can save your wife now."


	3. Extreme Measures

"Please, Dr. Adams, not that!" Nelllie began to sob hysterically. "Oh please, anything but that!"

Percival's eyes were desperate. "Please, Dr. Adams, there must be some other way..."

"Unfortunately, I'm not able to operate right now," Dr. Adams said. "I do not have sufficient anesthetic on hand, and I am not willing to subject your wife to major surgery without anesthesia. She would most likely succumb to pain, shock, and/or blood loss. There is, however, a treatment I would like to administer in the interim. Application of leeches will help eliminate the poison from your wife's legs while we await the arrival of the anesthesia."

Nellie had heard of treatment using leeches, but it had never been performed on anyone she knew. The thought of it made her feel nauseous, but it was so much better than the alternative that she tried not to mind.

Percival shared family photos and funny stories with her while the leeches were applied to her legs. The creatures' saliva contained a natural analgesic, so Nellie felt no pain, although she couldn't bring herself to watch the procedure.

After the leeches were removed, the pain in Nelllie's legs seemed to subside. After several more applications, the pain seemed to diminish greatly.

Dr. Adams seemed optimistic. "It looks as if the leeches are doing their job and helping to get rid of the poison," he commented.

Both Percival and Nellie's eyes held the same unspoken question, which Dr. Adams addressed next.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up, as it's still too early to tell whether or not your wife's legs can be saved," Dr. Adams told Percival. "But the signs do seem to be encouraging."

Within the next several days, Nellie's legs improved so much that she was really feeling no more pain than she had before the infection had set in.

"The anesthetic I needed has finally come in, but now it looks as if surgery won't be necessary after all, thanks to the leech treatments," Dr. Adams said with a smile.

"Oh, thank God!" Percival exclaimed with relief as he embraced his wife. Tears of joy streamed down Nellie's face.

Although it wasn't known at the time, the leeches had saved Nellie's legs by removing the excess blood, thereby reducing the swelling and improving the circulation to Nellie's feet, which helped her own immune system to fight the infection and speed healing.

"You're going to be all right now, Nellie. I just know it," Percival said. Nellie, relieved but weak from her ordeal, clung to him wordlessly.


	4. Home For The Holidays

The season changed, the air grew cooler, the last of the leaves finally fell from the trees, and snow flakes began to fall from the sky. Dr. Adams said that Nellie was ready to go home.

"There's really nothing more that can be done at this point, except to wait and see if the bones in your legs heal," he told her. "You can do that at home as well as you can here."

So Nellie, both legs encased in bulky white casts and sticking straight out in front of her like twin bayonets, was pushed in a wheelchair to the waiting stagecoach. Percival gently gathered her into his arms and placed her on the seat. Then he put the wheelchair in and got in himself.

After being cooped up indoors for so long, Nellie enjoyed the coolness of the air on her face. She leaned her head onto Percival's shoulder all the way home.

Cohen's Dry Goods store was already decorated for Hanukkah. The menorah was in the window, and blue and white streamers were everywhere. The usual Christmas tree was conspicuously absent. Nellie was in charge of that every year and, of course, had been unable to help decorate this year.

Jenny and Benny bolted excitedly for their mother as Percival pushed Nellie in the wheelchair into the store.

"Mommy!" they shouted excitedly. Nellie grabbed one child in each arm and held them both tightly.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see you both!" she cried joyfully, not wanting to ever let go of them.

"Hello, dear," Edna Cohen said. "It's so nice to have you home again." Nellie let go of her children to hug Edna. Edna smelled so nice, all warm and maternal. Nellie didn't really want to let go of Edna either.

"I'll bet you'd really love a good home-cooked meal after all that hospital food," Edna said.

"Oh boy, would I ever!" Nellie exclaimed.

Soon the family was seated around the dining room table enjoying a meal of corned beef, rye bread, potatoes, and peas. Nellie sat sideways in her wheelchair because her legs wouldn't fit under the table. Afterwards, Jenny and Benny shared their completed school projects and art work with her. Then they went outside to play while Nellie visited with Edna and Percival.

When the evening shadows grew long, the twins came inside, and the family ate the evening meal. Then Edna cleaned up and Percival left on a mysterious errand.

"It's a surprise," he replied when Nellie asked him where he was going.

Darkness came, and Percival still didn't return. Nellie and Edna began to worry that something might have happened to him.

Finally, they heard the door opening and breathed sighs of relief. Percival entered somewhat noisily. His face was red, and snow dripped from his clothing. He carried a small tree. Nellie gasped in surprise.

"I knew that it wouldn't seem like the holiday season to you without a Christmas tree," Percival explained. "I sure had a hard time finding one. They were just about all gone. Sorry it's so small."

"Oh, that's all right!" Tears were in Nellie's eyes, and her heart swelled with love for her husband. "That's so sweet of you to think of me. You're the most wonderful husband in the world, Percival Dalton."

Percival removed his wet outer clothing and hung it near the fireplace to dry. Then he went to Nellie and tenderly embraced her.

"Merry Christmas, Nellie," he said.

"Happy Hanukkah, Percival," she replied, hugging and kissing him.


	5. Setback

The snow melted, the weather turned warmer, flowers began to bloom, and birds began to sing again. Nellie sat day after day in her wheelchair or on the bed or sofa with her legs in casts stuck straight out in front of her. She spent most of the mornings reading books and magazines or sleeping. The high point of her day was when Jennifer and Benjamin returned home from school every afternoon. She was always eager to find out what new things they had learned and what interesting things had happened to them that day.

"Good news, Nellie," Dr. Adams said to her one day. "It's time to take the casts off your legs and find out how well they can support your weight now. I have to warn you that they'll be very weak at first. You'll need to do plenty of exercising to build your muscles back up."

Nellie was happier than she had been in a long time. Percival grinned and hugged her tightly. Dr. Adams' saw made a very loud noise, but Nellie felt no actual pain, only a strange buzzing sensation, as it cut through first one cast and then the other.

Percival and Nellie were both shocked at how thin and emaciated Nellie's legs were once the casts had been removed. Nellie's heart beat with excitement as her feet touched the ground for the first time in many months. As strange as the floor felt to the soles of her feet, it was one of the nicest feelings she had ever experienced. Grasping both arms of the wheelchair tightly, she slowly tried to stand and immediately fell. Tears of disappointment filled her eyes as Percival helped her back into the wheelchair.

"As I said before, your legs will be very weak for awhile, until exercising brings back their muscle mass," Dr. Adams reminded her.

Although disappointed that she couldn't stand alone yet, Nellie was very happy to finally be rid of the bulky casts.

* * *

><p>Over the next several weeks, Nellie worked very hard at doing the exercises to strengthen her leg muscles. In between running the store and caring for the children, Percival helped her as much as he could. They were both so happy when Nellie finally took a few steps on her on, holding onto Percival's hand.<p>

One beautiful spring morning, Nellie and Percival took a long walk together over several blocks. When they returned, Nellie was so tired that she went to bed for the rest of the day.

"I heard there's a dance this coming Saturday night," Percival told Nellie later. "I think you're strong enough now that we could go dancing again."

"Oh, I'd love to!" Nellie cried. Having had virtually no social life for so many months, she was eager to be out in the public again.

On the night of the dance, Nellie wore her loveliest dress.

"Just look at you! You're beautiful!" Percival exclaimed with a smile. He was dressed in his nicest clothing as well.

That night Nellie had a wonderful time dancing with Percival, his strong arms around her, lifting and supporting her. For a while time seemed to stand still. Nellie was disappointed when the dance was over and it was time to go back home.

The next morning Nellie wasn't able to get out of bed at all. Every time she tried to stand up, the pain in her legs was so severe that she collapsed onto the bed. A very worried Percival called Dr. Adams.

"I'm sorry, Nellie," Dr. Adams said, after examining her. "I'm afraid your legs aren't quite healed to the point that I thought they were."

"You mean you're going to put casts on my legs again?" Nellie asked tearfully.

"No, not casts again. Braces this time. You'll be able to stand and walk on them, and they'll support your weight while your legs finish healing."

Nellie looked at the braces with dismay. She felt so disappointed.

"It's only for a little while, Nellie," Percival said encouragingly. "Soon your legs will be as good as new and you won't need them anymore."

"A few weeks will feel like forever," Nellie cried. Percival held her and patted her back as she sobbed.


	6. A Visit From The Olesons

Summer arrived, and the school year ended for the twins. Nellie was sitting on a chair on the porch outside the store enjoying some sun when a wagon came to a stop in front of the store, and Nels, Harriet, and Nancy Oleson got out.

"Oh, my Nellie!" Harriet exclaimed, rushing to hug Nellie. Nellie stood carefully and embraced her mother.

"Are you feeling all right?" Harriet asked.

"I'm fine, mother," Nellie said.

"How do you do, Mr. O." Percival had come to the door and was shaking hands with Nels. "Come on inside."

"Grandma! Grandpa!" yelled Jenny and Benny, running outside.

"Nancy, meet your niece and nephew, Jennifer and Benjamin," Harriet said to her adopted daughter.

"Humph," said Nancy, tossing her head and looking down her nose at them.

Harriet giggled. "She's so shy around new people."

Percival put his arm around Nellie's waist and helped her inside.

"How are Willie and Rachel?" Nellie asked her mother.

"They're both fine. Rachel thinks that she might be pregnant."

"How exciting! So I might have a new niece or nephew by this time next year!"

"I don't like babies," Nancy said.

"You were once a baby yourself, dear," her mother reminded her.

After lunch, Percival took the Olesons on a walking tour of his area of the city. Nancy, who said she didn't want to go, stayed behind. Nellie, who was tired, took her leg braces off and lay on the bed to take a nap.

A short while later, she awoke to a scream.

"Help, Nellie! I fell down and I can't get back up! I think I sprained my ankle!" Nancy's voice came from an adjacent room.

Nellie reached for her braces, but they weren't where she had left them. Alarmed, she looked all around and under the bed, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Please hurry, Nellie! My ankle really hurts!"

Nellie, hearing the urgency in Nancy's voice, walked to the room Nancy was in, even though the doctor had forbidden her to walk without the braces on her legs.

When she opened the door, there stood Nancy with a big grin on her face. "Fooled you, didn't I?" Nancy said.

Nellie felt anger welling up inside her.

"What did you do with my leg braces, Nancy?" she demanded.

"Nothing." Nancy was the picture of innocence. "I haven't even seen them since I saw you wearing them earlier."

Enraged, Nancy slammed the bedroom door and went back to her own bedroom. She was almost to the bed when she felt a sharp pain in her right leg. Somehow, she made it to the bed and collapsed onto it, where she lay in terrible pain until the rest of the family returned from their tour. Percival saw her lying there with her face twisted in pain, and his heart went into his throat. He immediately hurried to her side.

"Nellie, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"My braces...are gone. I guess...Nancy must have done...something with them." Nellie was in so much pain that she could barely speak.

"Did you try to walk without your braces on after the doctor told you not to?"

"I thought...Nancy was hurt. I...heard her scream."

Percival suddenly realized what must have happened. "Nancy!" he bellowed, his face blazing with fury. There was no answer.

"She's not anywhere in the house or the store," Nels announced.

"Oh, my darling Nancy! What if she's been kidnapped?" Harriet moaned.

"I should be so lucky," Nels muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Nels?" asked Harriet.

"I said, she's always been so trusting."

"Oh, I know! If a stranger offered her candy, she wouldn't hesitate to go with him."

"I'm worried about Nellie," said Percival. "Where does it hurt, honey?"

"My whole leg hurts," Nellie moaned.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Edna Cohen opened it, and there stood Nancy with a policeman.

"Does this little girl belong to you?" the policeman asked. "I found her hiding behind a garbage bin up the road."

"Oh, my darling!" Harriet rushed to Nancy and hugged her tightly.

"Nancy, what did you do with Nellie's braces?" Percival asked quietly. The look on his face said that he was not going to tolerate any foolishness.

A hush fell over the room, and Nancy strode grumpily to the closet. She retrieved Nellie's braces and took them to Percival.

"It was just a joke," she pouted.

"Nancy, do you realize that your 'joke' could have caused permanent damage to Nellie's legs?" Percival asked.

Nancy stared at the floor and didn't say anything. Harriet grabbed Nancy by the arm and jerked her roughly out of the room. Nels laid a hand on Percival's shoulder for a moment and then silently followed his wife and younger daughter out of the room.


	7. Another Operation

Against Harriet's protests, Nels took Nancy behind the store, which was the town equivalent to taking her behind the woodshed on the prairie.

"She has to learn that her actions have consequences," he told Harriet, who thought that he was dealing with their daughter much too harshly.

Afterwards Nancy sulked and pouted for the rest of the day, refusing to speak to anyone, even her mother.

Percival took Nellie back to Dr. Adams, who examined her re-injured leg and clucked his tongue.

"The bone has become misaligned and will have to be re-set," he told them. "I must operate tomorrow. In the meantime, no weight is to be put on the leg at all."

Dr. Adams kept Nellie in the hospital overnight. Percival stayed with her for as long as he could, then returned to care for Jenny and Benny and help his mother run the store.

Pain from her leg, added to worry about the additional surgery, prevented Nellie from getting much sleep that night. She still felt quite angry at Nancy, although at the same time she realized the futility of her angry feelings. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes when she thought of how much of a struggle she had been through to get as far in her recovery as she had, only to suffer such a serious setback in one single afternoon.

Eventually, Nellie did fall into a deep sleep, from which she had to be roused the next morning for the surgery. Percival had already arrived at the hospital when she awakened.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I hardly slept at all," Nellie said. "How are Jenny and Benny?"

"Fine, except that they are both very worried about you, of course."

"My parents?"

"Your father was very angry at Nancy. He took her out behind the store. Your mother is upset at him for doing that."

"Typical of her," Nellie mumbled. She often reflected that she herself might have been a nicer person when she was younger if her mother had been more firm with her. She primarily credited Percival with the improvements in her personality since she had met him, and was determined not to raise her own children as her mother had raised her.

Soon it was time for the operation to begin.

"I love you, sweetie," Percival said, kissing Nellie's cheek.

"Love you too," she replied as she waited for the anesthetic to take effect.

Several hours later, Percival sat beside his wife's bed in the recovery room waiting for her to awaken from the anesthesia. Her eyelids began to flutter, and then they remained open and she gazed up at Percival.

"It's all over now, darling," he told her.

"Did it go all right?"

"Everything went well. Your leg will only need to be in the cast again for a few weeks, and then we can try just the brace again and see how that works out."

Nellie looked down at her leg encased in the cast once again and cried. All she could think about was more endless weeks of just sitting or lying around, able to do very little and bored out of her mind.


	8. Life's Little Surprises

Dr. Adams allowed Nellie to return home the next day. Jenny saw the cast on her mother's leg and burst into tears. Percival walked over to his daughter and gave her a gentle hug.

"Your mother's going to be just fine, Jenny," he told her. "She's just had a little setback. That's all. She'll only have that cast on her leg for a little while, and then her leg will be better again."

"I hate Nancy," Benny declared.

"Never say that you hate another person, Benjamin," Percival told his son. "It's fine to hate what she did and to be angry at her. I still feel very angry at her myself. But when you hate someone, you're allowing them to control you."

Benny wasn't sure that he understood, but he didn't say anything more.

Six weeks later, Nellie was back in Dr. Adams' office for the removal of the cast.

"The leg the cast was on has completely healed," Dr. Adams told her. "The other leg hasn't quite mended yet. You see, the smaller bone has grown back together and is preventing the two ends of the larger bone from solidifying. One option is to perform surgery to take a tiny piece from the smaller bone to allow the ends of the larger bone to set more firmly."

Nellie just stared at him, feeling her eyes fill with tears. _Another _operation?

"The other option is to just wait a couple more months and see whether the larger bone mends on its on. That's the path I would recommend."

Nellie sighed with relief.

"Do you have any other questions or concerns for me?" Dr. Adams asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I've been feeling rather poorly lately. I have hardly any appetite at all, and I've been having to sleep a lot more lately than ever before. At first I thought that it was just a result of my depression over having my leg back in a cast, but I'm wondering whether I might be suffering from malnutrition."

Dr. Adams looked concerned. "Have your monthly periods been regular?"

Nellie was stunned. Her injured legs had been so much on her mind that she had essentially paid no attention to other aspects of her health.

"Why, no, I suppose they haven't. It's been at least a couple of months since I last had one."

Dr. Adams' face bore a serious expression. "Please remove all of your clothing and put on one of these special gowns. I will be back in several minutes to examine you some more."

Puzzled, Nellie did as he had asked.

Dr. Adams returned about fifteen minutes later. He examined her breasts and nodded to himself. "Mm hm."

Next he asked Nellie to move to the end of the examining table and put her feet in the stirrups at the end, and he performed an internal exam on her.

"Just as I suspected," he told her when he was finished. "You're going to have a baby, Nellie. In about six months or so, I'd say."

Nellie was shocked. Although she and Percival had resumed their normal marital relations as soon as the casts had been removed from her legs the first time, it had never occurred to her that she might get pregnant again. As she had never been pregnant again since having the twins, she had just assumed that they were the only babies she would ever have.

"It's more important than ever that you get enough calcium now, Nellie," Dr. Adams told her. "The baby will be competing with your body for calcium, as it needs it for the development of its bones and teeth. At the same time, your leg still needs calcium to continue to mend well."

Percival was dumbfounded when she gave him the news. "Whoa! Talk about life's little surprises!"

"This is one of them, all right," Nellie said. "And any other time, it would be a happy one."

"To me it's still a happy one, Nellie. Just because we also have the extra challenge of getting your leg the rest of the way well doesn't mean it isn't still cause to celebrate."

"I'm scared, Percival."

"Oh, Nellie, it will be all right. Just make sure to do everything Dr. Adams tells you to do, and I'm sure you and the baby will both be just fine."

He gave Nellie a hug and kiss and helped her back out to the carriage.


	9. A New Dalton

Percival's mother had almost finished preparing dinner when Nellie and Percival returned home, and Jenny and Benny had just returned from playing outside.

"How did it go at the doctor's?" asked Edna.

"Nellie's leg that was in the cast has completely healed," Percival told her. "The other leg may need surgery to completely finish healing. Dr. Adams thinks that it would be better to wait and see if it will heal on its own first. The big news is, we're going to have another baby!"

"Why, that's wonderful!" Edna exclaimed, hugging Nellie and kissing her cheek.

"I want a sister," said Jenny.

"I want a brother," said Benny.

"Maybe it'll be twins again, a girl for me and a boy for you."

"We'll be happy just to have a healthy baby, or babies," said Percival, remembering Nellie's previous pregnancy. There had been a major conflict between his father and Nellie's mother. Benjamin Cohen had wanted the child to be raised Jewish, and Harriet had wanted him or her to be raised Christian. They had finally decided that a boy would be raised Jewish and a girl, Christian. After Benjamin's death, Percival and Nellie had chosen to raise both children in both religions and let them each decide which they wanted to be as an adult.

Summer passed, and Jenny and Benny, now seven years old, returned to school. Nellie's pregnancy began to show, and she had to wear looser fitting clothing. She also began to feel the baby's movements, which were very gentle at first but got progressively stronger. She went to see Dr. Adams every month, both for her leg and her pregnancy. The news about her leg was always the same. It was almost well, but not quite. It was beginning to look as if another operation was inevitable, although Dr. Adams still insisted that there was no hurry about it.

Nellie's pregnancy progressed normally. She gained the right amount of weight, and Dr. Adams said that he detected only one heartbeat this time, although that had also been the case with Nellie's first pregnancy. It had been decided that one twin must have been hiding behind the other and so its heartbeat couldn't be detected.

The first snow came, and Thanksgiving followed. After Thanksgiving, preparations for the holiday season began. Although she still wore a brace on one leg, Nellie was able to help a lot more with the decorations this year.

Nellie was standing on a chair to hang crepe paper along the top of the wall when she felt warm water gush down her legs and knew that it was time.

She went right to bed while Percival hurried to fetch Dr. Adams. As the contractions became more intense and painful, she hoped that the doctor would be there soon, although Edna was there so she wasn't completely alone.

Dr. Adams arrived, checked her, and said that it would still be several hours before the baby would be born.

"I don't think I can stand much more of this," Nellie groaned.

"Sure you can. You're doing just fine, Nellie. You're going to make it," Percival told her, gently sweeping her hair back from her forehead with his hand.

At last Dr. Adams examined Nellie and said that it was time for her to start pushing. Nellie bore down with all her might when the next contraction began, but nothing happened. She pushed for several hours, and still the baby's head didn't appear.

"I just can't push anymore! I'm too tired!" Nellie sobbed.

"I'm going to have to use forceps," Dr. Adams said.

Nellie saw the instruments the doctor held and sobbed harder.

"It won't hurt at all," the doctor assured her. "I will simply insert the forceps on either side of the baby's head, and the next time you bear down, I'll help you."

"Please don't hurt my baby," Nellie wailed.

"I promise, it won't hurt the baby at all," Dr. Adams said. "I've delivered many babies using forceps before, and every one of them turned out just fine."

Nellie felt the cold, hard metal slide into her, and a moment later, another powerful contraction came. This time when she pushed, she felt the baby slide down.

"The baby's head is out!" Dr. Adams exclaimed. "Just one more push, Nellie! You can do it!"

The next time Nellie pushed, she felt the entire baby slide from her body.

"It's a girl!" Dr. Adams exclaimed.

Tears of relief flowed from Nellie's eyes.

"It's all over now, darling," Percival said, stroking her hair. "You did great, Nellie, and we have a beautiful new daughter."

Nellie watched as Dr. Adams cleaned the baby and wrapped her in a blanket. Then he handed her to Nellie.

"Susanna," Nellie whispered. That was the name she and Percival had decided upon. "You're so precious."

She held the baby to her breast, and Susanna began to suckle hungrily. Nellie saw that there was a slight blue mark on the side of Susanna's head.

"I love you so much, Nellie," said Percival. His eyes were full of tears, and there was a quiver in his voice. He lightly touched the fuzzy top of Susanna's tiny head. Nellie sighed contentedly and rested her head on his shoulder, and for a little while it seemed as if the world contained just the three of them.


	10. The Last Operation

Susanna was a beautiful baby. She was healthy, strong, and had a good-natured temperament. Edna, Jenny, and Benny fell in love with her right away, and the entire family considered her to be a special gift from heaven. The holiday season at Cohen's Dry Goods store that year was an especially joyful one.

After Nellie had recuperated from Susanna's birth, she and Percival told Dr. Adams that they were finally ready to go ahead with the operation on Nellie's other leg, and Dr. Adams agreed.

"If it had been going to heal on its on, I think it would have done so by now," he said.

The day before the operation was to take place, Nellie sat in a rocker nursing Susanna for the final time before Percival drove her into town. Although she would only be in the hospital for a couple of days, Nellie was reluctant to hand the baby over to Edna. Susanna was finally sleeping soundly, and with a kiss to the baby's soft cheek, Nellie handed her to her mother-in-law. Then she said good-bye to Jenny and Benny, kissed their cheeks, and walked out to the wagon with Percival.

"I know it's a little scary," Percival said, placing a comforting hand on Nellie's knee. "But just remember that this will be the last operation, and after you've recovered from it, both your legs will be healthy and strong again."

The ride into town was mostly silent. Nellie looked at the houses, trees, and buildings covered with snow and thought about how picturesque they looked as a way of taking her mind off of what she would soon be facing.

Nellie felt very tired and fell asleep quickly that night. Several hours later, the discomfort in her breasts awakened her, and she rose and expressed enough milk to lessen the discomfort enough so that she could sleep again. That happened a couple more times during the night.

The next morning Nellie felt the now-familiar apprehension she had come to dread on the morning of each operation. Percival sat by her bedside and held her hand until the anesthetic quickly slipped her into blissful unawareness. When she awakened, she saw that her leg was once again bandaged.

Later that day, Dr. Adams encouraged her to take her first post-surgery step. As she stood on the leg for the first time that day, she cried out in pain and nearly collapsed. Percival quickly caught her and helped her back into bed.

"That's probably the worst pain you'll feel," Dr. Adams assured her. "The two ends of the unstable bone have just been forced together. The next steps you take will be much easier."

Nellie and Percival both hoped with all their hearts that he was right.


	11. Welcome News

Nellie rested in bed for the rest of that evening and night, and in the morning she left the hospital on crutches. Percival helped her into the carriage and drove them home.

By the time they arrived back at the store, Nellie's breasts were badly swollen, and the front of her dress was completely soaked with milk.

Once they were inside, Percival helped Nellie out of her dress and into bed. Edna brought Susanna, who was extremely fussy, to Nellie, who began to nurse her right away. Mother and daughter both felt much better instantly.

That evening Nellie was able to hobble around on crutches for a little while. She still had some pain in her leg, but it was nothing like the pain she had experienced the previous night.

"You seem to be doing really well, Nelllie, considering that your surgery was only yesterday," Percival told her. "Just be sure not to overdo it this time. No more dancing for awhile," he added with a grin.

Nellie spent most of the rest of that evening sitting on the sofa with a hot compress on her leg. She had some pain that night but was otherwise able to sleep fairly well.

The following day, Nellie alternated between hobbling around on crutches and sitting with a hot compress on her leg.

As the next several days passed, Nellie's leg grew stronger and stronger, and its muscles became prominent once again as they had been before.

Nellie was tempted to try to walk without crutches, but Percival told her that they'd better wait until she had Dr. Adams' approval first.

"The last thing we need is another setback," he told her, and she knew that she couldn't agree with him more.

One evening, Edna had given Susanna her bath and laid her on a towel on the bed to dry her off when the baby looked at Nellie and suddenly grinned a wide, toothless grin at her.

"Oh look, Percival, she's smiling," Edna called to her son, who had been helping the twins with their homework.

"So she is," Percival beamed. He looked happier than Nellie had seen him in a while.

"What a pretty smile you have," Nellie said softly to her tiny daughter, who made cooing noises in reply.

Nellie went back to see Dr. Adams six weeks after her operation. The doctor was silent as he examined her leg, but she could tell by the expression on his face that he was pleased.

"Have you been having a lot of pain in your leg after walking?" Dr. Adams asked.

"Not anymore," Nellie told him. "I had a lot of pain for the first few days after the operation, but after that it got better and better. Now I don't really have any pain at all anymore," Nellie told him.

"Your bone seems to have completely mended," Dr. Adams said with a smile. "I think we can finally pronounce you completely recovered."

"Oh, honey, that's wonderful!" Percival exclaimed. Tears of happiness rolled down Nellie's face as her husband hugged her fiercely.

"You take care and stay out of the path of wagons from now on," Dr. Adams said as he patted Nellie on the shoulder.

"I think this calls for a celebration," Percival said on the way home.

"Great news!" Percival shouted excitedly as they went inside. "Nellie's leg is completely well now!"

The twins cheered and danced around excitedly.

To celebrate, the whole family went out for dinner that night. After dinner, Percival and Nellie danced to a couple of slow songs, and then the family rode back home in the dusky twilight. Nellie nursed Susanna and placed her in her crib, and then she and Percival went to bed. Percival curled his body around hers and held her close to his chest, and she slowly dozed off listening to his even breathing.


End file.
